Comments requested on new system build

ikso

Distinguished
Oct 10, 2007
7
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18,510
I mulled over a lot of different options but here is my latest version of a higher end gaming oriented rig:

Mid-Tower case (4 fans)
750W Thermaltake PS
Core 2 Duo E6850 (3Ghz)
eVGA 680i A1 motherboard
4x1GB PC-6400 DDR2 800 system memory
2x MSI NX8800GTX-T2D768E HD OC (610Mhz GPU, 2000Mhz mem)
HannsG 28" widescreen LCD, 1920x1200, 3ms
74GB WD Raptor 10,0000 rpm HD
500 GB WD 7200 rpm HD
LiteOn LH-20A1L 20X Double Layer DVD+-RW Lightscribe, SATA
Logitech Z-5500 5.1 speakers
Vista Home Premium 64bit

After tax, shipping, keyboard, mouse I'm targeting a final bill of about $3400. In the course of my pondering, I rejected the following upgrades:

1) 2x2GB memory - it seems like that would cost me an extra $100 or more. The adoption of 64bit OSes seems quite slow, so by the time I think the market begins really supporting apps that need more than 4GB (2 years from now?), memory costs will come down and I can toss the 4x1GB modules and get a 2x2GB for $100.

2) DDR2 1066 Mhz system memory. Seems like that upgrade would cost about $200. And I'd estimate system performance would increase by only 2-3%.

3) SSDs. I really wanted this one, but a RAID 0 2x32GB set of disks would have set me back over a grand.

The only real big budget item for this system is the 2nd graphics card, although the speakers, monitor and HD subsystem are all a bit beefer than average. But after all this is a gaming oriented system. What'ya think?
 
I'd get a full-tower case, it will help a lot with the two monster video cards and allow for better cooling. For example the Silverstone TJ09 is perfect for a SLI build, it even has a fan blowing right between th evideo cards.

I'd get a Q6600 rather than the E6850. It will be better in the long-term. If you intend to upgrade the CPU in a year or less then the E6850 is better, true.

Good PSU. Maybe also look at PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750W.

Good choice of motherboard.

The MSI 8800 GTX does well in benchmarks. However, for quality/warranty reasons I still like eVGA or BFG more. I got a BFG 8800 GTX OC2 myself and I'm very happy with it. At 626 MHz it will beat the MSI, and it's very quiet.

Yeah, 2x2GB is nice but I wouldn't pay $100 for the difference. And DDR2-1066 isn't needed if you don't overclock.

HansG - is this brand reliable? I've got great experiences with Samsung, LG and Viewsonic. Never tried HannsG. TBH 28" at 1920x1200 sounds excellent, especially for people with weaker eyesight, because the pixels are much bigger than on a 24" monitor with the same resolution. Check out the Samsung 275T too. (27", 1920x1200, $1000 in Canada)

Everything else looks very nice. I want some Z-5500s too, I'm just broke right now after buying the rest of the PC :lol:

Maybe a CPU cooler would be good. It's not really necessary if you don't overclock but it can reduce noise a bit under load and keep the CPU in better shape. For an expensive build like this I'd add it. Here's the one I got myself, it just happens to be on sale now:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185038
(Scythe Ninja, $35)

 

ikso

Distinguished
Oct 10, 2007
7
0
18,510
I'll definitely check out your case recommendation. Airflow will clearly be a key factor with this build. The neon and flashing lights I could care less about. The PC will live under a desk and out of sight.

I picked the MSI 8800GTX for price reasons. Counting the current $20 mail in rebate, the BFG 8800GTX OC2 is an extra $75 per card or $150, for an extra 2.6% OC. The eVGA 8800GTX Superclocked and KO versions worked out similarly.

I've never tried HannsG either, so I'm taking a bit of a risk there. But for $599 for a 28" monitor that is getting good customer reviews so far, I'll chance it. Cross your fingers....
 

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